AI Programs Director

PRIORITY ONDEMAND•Knoxville, TN

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of AI Programs will lead the execution of enterprise artificial intelligence initiatives across a nationally distributed healthcare organization. This role sits at the intersection of clinical care, technology, data, and operations, with responsibility for turning AI innovation into real-world improvements in patient care, clinician experience, operational performance, and decision-making. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong collaboration with executive leadership, clinical stakeholders, compliance, IT, and external partners to ensure AI solutions are scalable, ethical, secure, and clinically meaningful across diverse emergency department environments. This role also leverages technology to advance the company’s S.A.F.E. values (Safe, Accountable, Friendly, Efficient) and supporting the organization’s Healthcare Anywhere mission through innovation, automation, and actionable insights. This is a salaried/Exempt role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Science, Engineering, Healthcare Informatics, or related field
10+ years in technology (engineering, data, or applied ML)
5+ years of leadership experience in AI/ML programs, advanced analytics, digital health, or enterprise technology programs
Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives in healthcare or other highly regulated environments
Strong working knowledge of modern generative AI stack: LLM APIs, RAG, agent frameworks (LangGraph, MCP, or comparable)
Cloud AI platform experience (Azure AI Foundry preferred; AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex acceptable).
Data engineering fundamentals: strong SQL, modern data warehouse (Snowflake or Databricks), pipelines, semantic layers.
MLOps/LLMOps: versioning, evaluation, monitoring, cost controls, prompt and agent observability.
Demonstrated track record moving AI from prototype to production at scale.
Ability to communicate effectively with executives, clinicians, and technical teams

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a relevant field, or MBA with a technology focus
Advanced certification in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning preferred (Microsoft, AWS, Snowflake, or GCP AI/data platforms)
Experience in healthcare, hospital systems, or physician services organizations
Familiarity with major electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR), Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) platforms, and healthcare data standards
Experience operationalizing AI at scale in real-world clinical environments
Geographic location at or near current operational locations – Knoxville, TN, Phoenix, AZ, Memphis, TN, Atlanta, GA, or Dallas, TX

Responsibilities

Advise C-Suite on enterprise-wide AI strategy and lead the execution of organizational priorities in quality, safety, access, clinician efficiency, and financial performance
Establish AI program roadmaps, success metrics, and governance frameworks to drive consistent outcomes across multiple states and care settings
Hands-on leader with implementation experience delivering a portfolio of AI initiatives such as: Clinical decision support and predictive analytics, Generative AI for documentation and clinician workflow support, Operational optimization (staffing, throughput, patient flow), Revenue cycle and compliance automation
Translate executive and clinical objectives into scalable, measurable AI programs
Partners with the enterprise Project Management Office (PMO) to define and implement the AI project portfolio
Partner closely with cross-functional company SMEs to identify high-impact AI use cases
Ensure AI tools integrate seamlessly into clinical workflows while preserving clinician autonomy and judgment
Serve as a trusted advisor to clinical leaders on AI capabilities, limitations, and best practices
Establish and lead AI governance frameworks, including model approval, validation, monitoring, bias mitigation, and lifecycle management
Ensure compliance with HIPAA, CMS regulations, state-level requirements, and emerging AI regulations
Collaborate with Legal, Privacy, Compliance, and Information Security to manage enterprise risk
Partner with IT Infrastructure on platform and tenancy; partner with IT Security on data protection and model risk
Stand up the responsible AI framework: risk reviews, audit trails, human-in-the-loop, acceptable use
Lead vendor selection and management across AI platforms (Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
Partner with IT, data analytics, and regional operations teams to ensure high-quality, secure, and interoperable data pipelines
Evaluate AI tools, platforms, and vendors; make build/buy/partner recommendations to the CIO
Manage vendor relationships and ensure performance, security, and clinical alignment
Lead enterprise change management for AI adoption across multiple operations and POD divisions as required
Build AI literacy and trust through communication, training, and executive engagement across all levels of the organization
Act as an internal evangelist for responsible and pragmatic AI innovation
Define KPIs and success metrics for all AI initiatives
Track post-deployment outcomes and continuously refine models and workflows
Report on program performance to the CIO and executive leadership